


Equal and Opposite: The Spark

by DarkLadyEvannaPotter



Series: Equal and Opposite [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Auras, Bad Parenting, Betrayal, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, M/M, Magic, Magical Blocs, Runes, Snooping, Toxic Relationships, Wards, bitches
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:48:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24728491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkLadyEvannaPotter/pseuds/DarkLadyEvannaPotter
Summary: Valeri Dayton was a normal-ish highschool kid in London. His mother was the Prime-Minister and had to deal with multiple attempts on his life because of it. Nevertheless, he was a very happy boy with a girlfriend and two best friends. All of this changes, however. With a mother as influential as his, she was bound to have secrets. But what happens when those secrets involve him and his forgotten past?
Relationships: I mean all of my characters are original so I guess you'll have to wait and see where the story goes
Series: Equal and Opposite [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1788013





	1. My Mother Was Traumatized, So Was I

Thirty three years ago, a little girl named Freya was born to Aldrich and Haley Dayton. She had her mother’s yellow brown eyes and her father’s curly brown hair. She was everything they could have asked for and they were everything to her.

She led a good life. She had everything she ever wanted. Until one day, when she was seventeen, her mother was brutally murdered by members of a magical clan. Haley Dayton had been doing business of a questionable nature with them. She had failed over and over to uphold her promises. Her punishment: death. Freya saw it all, something no child should ever witness. It stayed with her for the rest of her life; the day she learned about the existence of a magical population in Great Britain.

She wasted many years of her young adulthood researching anything and everything to do with magic. Her studies suggested that they, the magicals, were something akin to gangs or terrorists, using their magic to cheat at life and harm those around them. They had been blessed with powers beyond man, yet they abused them.

Years passed by before she managed to shake herself from her vengeful haze. She realized she had yet to make something of herself, drunk on her brand of revenge: suspicion, secrets and study. Going back to school, she went into politics and started to make a name for herself once she graduated. She found a certain skill for it and became a high-ranking official in no time at all.

About a year later, a young family was attacked by a group of magicals and their eleven month old son was left orphaned. The magicals' part in the murders was obviously not made public, keeping the masses ignorant about the threatening race. However, a certain circle of people were informed of, or deduced the truth regarding the tragedy, having already been made privy to the existence of magic.

Seeing herself in the orphaned son, Freya decided to take him in as her own.

My name is Valeri and that was the day Freya Dayton became my mother.

I have very little memory of my early life but I do remember being constantly in and out of the hospital. I was always told that I was a sickly child. The doctors said that the trauma from my early childhood had taken its toll on my health. Though, the tests they made me go through seemed excessive, even if I was often sick.

Another thing the doctors associated to my childhood trauma was that I suffered from partial insomnia. Since the age of five I had been sleeping very little, driving my nannies insane. All those hours in the dead of night led me to pick up many hobbies. Gardening, signing, darts, and working out were only the tip of the iceberg.

The next year, when I was six, I met George Torry, my brother in all but blood. We were inseparable. He was as much a joker as he was awkward. It all made quite an endearing combination when paired with his studiousness. His mother, Helena, was quite close with mine, seeing as they had gone to university together. That was also the year my mother was voted in as prime minister of England. Aunty Helena, became her secretary.

My life acquired a constant danger from that day forward. I had become a minor celebrity as the prime minister’s son, thus a prime target for the magical community. There had been many attempts on my life but none were successful. Of course, my mother had hired only the best of the best as a security detail for me, though they were as much a blessing as a curse.

If we ignored all of that, I had a pretty regular childhood. My mother didn’t believe in pampering me so I had to work to get to where I was. I got into Westminster school, a prestigious boarding school, along with George once we finished primary school. There, we met Aryanne (or Ary). The three of us got along so well, we might as well have known each other since birth. She was very sporty, the star of our girl’s football team and was voted in as the prettiest girl two years in a row. She really was amazing, although she could be a bit much at times.

In eleventh grade, I also got to know Anabelle Davison (Belle for short). Some time passed and the next thing I knew, we were dating. She was really something. Se was so strong and independent, yet caring. I couldn’t have asked for better. The only thing was that she was always picking on Aryanne. She told me it was just good fun and that she really didn’t mean harm to Ary but sometimes it didn’t feel like that. Which was a shame really. I thought Belle and Ary could have been good friends.

Anyways, now that we’re all caught up to the start of my story, let’s dive in!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all who managed to find this original work by yours truly!  
> (Wow that was long)  
> I hoped you all like the first chapter! I actually wrote this story for my English class earlier in the year but i decided to post it to show the world (or whoever actually manages to find it lol). Thankfully, this means that I do actually have the whole story written (well this part at least... the story is three parts long and I haven't written the other two)! So you can probably expect quick updates unlike the ones for Dusk Falls... I swear I am working on that one tho!!!!
> 
> Toodles,  
> Evanna


	2. Spoiler: I Got a Seventy on That Test

I was pushing my way through busy halls hand in hand with Anabelle from the second building to the main one. Both of us had classes in that building during third block; Belle had History and I had English. That day we had essay workshops organized by our teacher. Of course, George was one of the assistants because he was so studious but Ary and I, having difficulties writing essays, were on the receiving end of the teacher’s aids advice.

I looked over at Belle and found a smile creeping over my face as I gazed upon her. Her flowing brown hair draped over her shoulder in a light wave, impeccably styled. Her fine features accentuated her doll-like face and made her emerald eyes all that more evident. She was so beautiful.

As if sensing my stare, she looked at me, our eyes met, and we both looked away in embarrassment. Even if we had been dating for almost a year, we still felt awkward sometimes. People had dubbed it to be sickeningly cute.

“You ready for your Bio test love?” she asked me, her eyes looking slightly worried. I pushed a strand of my dirty blond hair form my face and turned to her.

“I don’t know. The quiz you gave me last night helped me but I’m still stressing.”

“Don’t worry. You’re going to do well.”

“Thanks.”

“Anyways, once you finish, it’ll be the weekend!”

“Right! About that, would you want to hang out at my place?”

“Uhh, sure, I think I’m free.”

“Brilliant!” I exclaimed, happily.

We arrived at the hallway separating our lockers so we kissed and said goodbye. I walked up to my locker to find George’s tall and lanky frame casually leaning against his own locker, the one next to mine. His shaggy blond hair was as much of a mop as it always was. Combined with his mischievous grey eyes framed by glasses and his aristocratic features, he really pulled off a more roughish charm.

“Mate, you have to stop doing all of that kissy stuff in front of us single ladies! It’s depressing,” he said with a grimace.

“Well sorry George, it’s not my fault you don’t like any of the female population of Westminster.”

“At least I don’t have a psycho chick that insults everyone. Except for you obviously.”

I stuck my tongue out at that, “I’ve told you this before, she doesn’t do it out of ill intent. She’s just playing around.”

“Okay mate, whatever you say. Just know that Ary would argue the exact opposite.”

“Whatever you say.”

Without further ado, I finished switching out my things and we made our way to class. The walk there was long, as always, which did nothing to help with my anxiety, thinking of the coming test. I had noticed that I’d been more moody as of late. I hoped mother hadn’t. I really didn’t need her to go all over the top worried about my health.

George and I walked into the classroom and sat at our respective spots. Ary was already seated, her fit body positively vibrating with energy. She was bent over her notebook, her boy cut black hair leaving her face visible to all who looked (which was quite a chunk of the males in the class). Her big brown eyes were narrowed and her bushy eyebrows were furrowed in her concentration. I sat beside her and George sat in front of us. I proceeded to open my binder for some last minute review.

In the last three minutes before class, George, Ary and I quizzed each other through all of the tricky information that we all had issues with. Hopefully, having all the terms fresh in my mind would help.

Our teacher, professor Marks, walked in right on time and all talking ceased. He distributed the test papers once our desks were cleared and I immediately got to work.


	3. I Have a Run-In With the Grim Reaper

Later that evening, I was sitting on my king sized bed surrounded by all of my pillows and blankets working on my short story. I had chosen a solid plot, but I kept second guessing my ideas. Something just kept nagging at my subconscious and made me tense and unable to concentrate properly. _ Is it too bland, too cliche, too cheesy? Should she not fall in love with my main character? Would that make everything too obvious? _

These thoughts kept plaguing my mind as I tried to get something done, for once. I really should have worked on this earlier. Around this time of night, I always got overly emotional. I never knew why. It just was. Lately, however it had been getting worse. The next thing I knew, I was experiencing things as bad as panic attacks or bouts of depression.

A light knock at my door pulled me from the spiraling thoughts. I went to unravel myself from my cocoon and managed to make it to the edge of my bed. When I got up, my body felt unnaturally heavy. I had to drag myself to the door, stopping a couple times to rein in dizziness. I took a moment to compose myself before opening the door.

Standing on the other side of the door was my mother in all her prime minister glory. She must have just come back home because her curly brown hair was still up in a strict bun, leaving her sharp light brown eyes and aristocratic face unobscured. Her thin lips, which were painted a slightly faded red, broke into a smile upon seeing me. 

“Hello dear. I received a phone call in the car on the way home saying that Anabelle had some last minute dance practices that popped up. She won’t be able to come over tomorrow.”

“Oh okay. Thanks for telling me, mom.”  _ Why didn’t Belle just message me herself? _

“Of course honey, I’m off to eat a quick supper and head to bed, I had quite a long day.”

“Oh? Auntie Helena slacking? She is there for a reason, mother. You should let her take some of the burden off of you shoulders,” I said for the umpteenth time.

“Yes dear, I know. I  _ am _ the one who hired her. Don’t worry, it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

Throughout the conversation I was progressively getting more and more lethargic and ended up using the door frame as a support. My body felt like it was made of lead and ready to collapse.

“Val, you should try to get a bit of sleep. You look awful. Even just a few minutes,” my mom said, as observant as ever.

“Yes mother. But, you know I can’t sleep all that much.”  _ Ah the downsides of being an insomniac. _

“At least try?”

“Fine,” I lied.

“Alright, if you need me, you know where to find me.”

“Yeah.”

With that, my mother left and I closed the door behind her. That was when the full extent of the conversation registered in my mind. Belle was busy the next day. She didn’t even send  _ me _ a message, she sent one to me  _ mother _ .

_ My relationship with Belle really is a good one _ , I thought as I made my way back to my bed. I was happy, she was happy, or at least I thought she was. She was so beautiful and funny.  _ Are you really happy with her though? _ My mind was always crawling with these doubts.  _ This isn’t the first time she’s cancelled at the last minute. Is everything really as good as it seems?  _ It was true. This wasn’t the first time. Is she avoid- no. There’s no way. Not Belle.  _ She’s just busy, that’s all. _

I had been having doubts though. Have I been going too slowly with her? We never did anything more than small kisses here and there. I knew she wanted more… or did she? It was all so complicated! We almost made out once but I chickened out at the last moment. She hadn’t said anything about it since. 

There was also the fact that she hardly took any initiative in the relationship. I was always the one to text, call, plan and surprise first! Would it have killed her to be a bit more into it. Maybe it was me. Did she move on already? Was she just biding her time? Mother liked her, I liked her, but maybe she said she would go out with me because of my mother. Or out of pity. That would have been a lot worse. Pity was always worse. 

But I was overreacting. There! See! The problem had been me all along. I was just imagining problems that weren’t there, that never existed. I should have just realized that everything was fine. We were in love. It might last until later, after high school, or even through university. Who knew? I loved her and that’s all that mattered. Or did I? 

I never made it to my bed and simply sank beside it. All of these thought were running through my mind at the speed of light. At some point, I remembered something Anabelle had said when we started dating. She never really liked Ary and George. She would tell me they only pretended to like me because of my mom’s status. That she heard Ary talking behind my back about getting into my good graces to suck up to my mother. 

I had believed her for about three days, during which I ignored my two best friends. But, they ended up cornering me and interrogated me. They told me that Belle was full of shit and that they were my friends because they genuinely cared about me. But that stuck with me. People would use me for my influence. It wasn’t even my fault but I was here suffering from this impending threat. 

Around this point, the tears started falling from my already wet eyes. My vision became blurred as I kept spiraling into more absurd and crippling thoughts. At one point, I reached out behind and up in order to get a hold of some blankets. I ended up rebuilding my cocoon on the floor and used it as a secure place to cry my feelings out.

A good half hour later, I started coming out of my personal black hole. Through my receding haze of negative emotions, I managed to wrestle my way out of the cocoon I had made. Once I felt good enough to stand, I got up and turned on my bedside lamp. It cast a soft yellow light into my now dark room, reflecting along the slick surfaces of my polished ash furniture.

Quite abruptly, my energy levels started escalating at a lightning pace. It felt like I had just drunk ten cups of straight caffeine. I was unstoppable. My mind was so clear, yet so crowded I was hardly able to think. I had to go do something. Anything.

I looked at the clock. It was eleven at night. If I had wanted to do anything inside, I missed my mark by about two hours, lest I want to wake up my mother. This meant that I had to go outside. A nice run through the neighborhood sounded quite perfect, if you asked me.

I was about to cross the room, open the door and make my way to the entrance when I took a second to look at my clothes. I was in my beloved cargo pants and a black tank top. What would my classmates think if they saw the prime minister’s perfect son in such a get up? It made me laugh just imaging Belle’s reaction.

I quickly opened a drawer in my dresser and pulled out the first set of cozy exercise clothes I got my hand on. Wasting no time, I pulled on a purple jumper and a pair or dark grey joggers. Looking myself over in the mirror I saw that my blue eyes were still a bit puffy from earlier. My hair was a mess and my freckles a stark contrast on my paler-than-usual skin. I splashed some water on my face and attempted to comb my hair. I nodded to myself and headed towards the exit.

I passed a couple guards on duty as I made my way to the front entrance. They all looked at me a bit weirdly though they were used to my antics this late at night. I couldn’t blame them, I practically had a skip to my step as I speed walked. I must have looked like a puppy that had just smelled their owner come home.

I was nearly at the door when the head night guard, Jason, caught on to where I was heading and called out.

“Mr. Valeri! Where do you think you’re going? You know we have orders not to let you leave the premises without guards, especially at this hour.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know Jason. Relax. I’ll only be out for a maximum of ten minutes. Just a small run, you know? No need to get your knickers in a twist!”

“Even so, you know these orders are in place for your own safety.”

“Jason, Jason, Jason.” I say exasperated. “Can’t you, just this once, let me take care of myself? I’m not a kid anymore. Hell, I have a blackbelt in just about three forms of martial arts! Ten minutes, I’ll be back in twenty. I really have to spend my pent up energy. Or would you rather I find something else to entertain myself with in the house like I did last time?”

Jason shook his head in bemusement. “Oh, don't remind me.” I smiled at this. “Take care of yourself you say? Fine then, make it back in fifteen without so much as a scratch and I’ll talk to your mother about the restrictions.”

“Sir yes sir!” I laughed at how easy it was to continue with my plans. “Be back soon. Sir!”

I gave him a mock salute and opened the door. A fresh autumn breeze hit my face and caused me to smile and take in a nice refreshing breath. It really was a beautiful night. A perfect one for a nice run. 

“You going to get going? You’re keeping the door open and letting all the hot aid out. We’re not paying to heat up the country!” Jason said as he lightly pushed me outside and closed the door behind me.

I shook my head at that. Jason would always be Jason. It was so fun riling him up over nothing. His reactions were the best. I made my way to the gates, passing by my miniature flower garden. I had been nurturing it for the past five years and I could really see the fruits of my labor. Upon further examination, I saw that my dahlias got trampled. It must have been a squirrel. I filed that away for another time. 

As I passed by the gates, one of the guards called out “Have a good run sir. I was told to remind you that you have twelve and a half minutes left,”

“Right! I better get going then”

And off I went, guided to Parliament street by the sight of the London Eye while humming a tune I had picked up. The soothing noises of the city soon engulfed me along with the darkness of night. The night had always been a comforting concept to me. Having nothing but the stars for company, that is, if one can see the stars though the people’s pollution. Having all your worries drift away, magically taken into the void of space, being able to be alone and free in the darkness. It all sounded like bliss to me as a child. Before I grew up and accepted that the constant pampering and worrying from my mother and, by extension, the whole security department was to be my fate.

I trucked along Parliament street, already feeling better and less tightly wound up. As I passed by the monument of the women of WW2 shadowed in the night, I felt a chill creep up my spine. Not one of those good chills, one of the ‘oh shit something is going to go badly’ chills. Something was definitely not right. 

Suddenly I started feeling eyes watching me. I was sure I was overreacting, but one cannot be too careful. I was quite disconcerting how this feeling just popped up. Was I really being watched? Everything seemed to sharpen around me. I could see the shadows clearly and my mind focused itself. 

Up in front, I could see the Household Division Charity and remembered that it connected to Horse Guards road, which I could take home. It also had vast grounds, allowing me to get some distance from my possible stalker. Worse case scenario, I could require the assistance of one of the guards there. But, then again, I would lose any possible freedom I could gain. 

As I walked through the entryway of the Charity, I looked back behind myself in a fruitless attempt to catch a glimpse of my chaser whom I was sure was gracefully hidden in the shadows. I saw the shadows move faintly, so I made an executive decision to run all the way to the courtyard, a vast clear space where my stalker would not be able to hide any longer. 

When I got to the back arch, moments away from breaching the courtyard, I heard the ruffling of clothes near me to the left. I abruptly turned in the direction, in time to see the stranger step out of the shadows, some still clinging onto his cloak.

He was a man, no doubt about that. His cloak was sleeveless and hung loosely off of his tall and muscular frame. A glowing violet eye seemed to look into my soul as it peeked out of his hood. I saw a silver glint from the shadows and came to the conclusion that he had some type of blade. 

That was pretty much the moment I decided I was way out of my league with this guy. Jason was right. I shouldn’t have gone off on my own. I started really panicking when the stranger took many more steps towards me. I was frozen in place, unable to move even an inch. 

What made everything worse was the attacker’s blade. It was a scythe. And no ordinary scythe at that. It had a silver blade, as I had guessed, but it had these weird designs etched in in blue on the back of it. Interestingly, it had a crescent moon on the heel of the weapon which seemed to be made out of sapphire. He looked like the glorified personification of death.

The man’s eye seemed to gain a twinkle to it for a moment and the next thing I knew, there was a purple serpent enveloping the blade, seemingly made of fire. Mother really wasn’t lying when she said that magic was dangerous and not to be taken lightly. These people were deranged!

I wanted to run away, I really did. All of this was too much for me to handle. I may have been a seventeen year old boy but this was way out of my comfort zone. While I was having this minor psychological crisis, I didn’t notice the movement of the stalker in my direction. When I noticed I was looking into the nothingness in front of me, I quickly whipped around and my eyes grew comically wide as I came face to face with my attacker. I caught a glimpse of his face, though mostly obscured by his hood. He had bangs covering half his face and his face was quite defined.

I saw the scythe come down on me and that was when, out of seemingly nowhere, an unearthly force pushed away the both of us. It was like nothing I had ever experienced. I had no idea what happened. Still startled by this but having enough of my senses back to move, I got the hell away.

I made it to the other end of the courtyard before I stopped to catch my breath. My attacker was nowhere in sight so I assumed he left, his mission a failure. I continued my journey home.

I felt a slight pinch on my left forearm. Out of reflex, I went to flick off the insect that was responsible. However, my finger collided with nothing. Come to think of it, it was fall. All the bugs should have been gone.  _ Whatever. Doesn’t really matter.  _ I must have just imagined it. I was still very sensitive and alert because of the encounter.

I looked back one final time and went home, to the warm safety of my bed and a nice book.


	4. Some Rich Guy Died Last Night, Big Whoop Am I Right?

It was morning already. I could hear the chirping of early rising birds through my open window. I had spent the night reading a novel, again, and fell asleep for about an hour. I couldn’t believe I slept even that long. It seemed as though the events of the night really got to me. I felt much better, however. When I did manage to get sleep, it always put me in a better mood.

I couldn’t believe I really was that close to dying. It was a good thing that that weird thing happened. It saved me, whatever it was. I realized I really wasn’t a match for anyone wielding magic. I was so out of my league. It just made me appreciate the guards that much more. 

Anyways, I would see Belle today and she would help me occupy my mind on other matters. I wondered what movie we could watch together. That was when I remembered the news my mother gave me even earlier last night. I had completely forgotten she cancelled.  _ What a disappointment all over again. _

That got me moping around in my bed for an extra fifteen minutes. I had finally decided to get over it and make my day into a productive one once I remembered that my English teacher gave us a new project. Might as well make the best of my lonely day.

I finally got up and out of my fort of pillows and blankets, tripping a bit after having caught my foot on a throw that was half way off my bed. I made my way to my dresser and half-heartedly opened my drawers. I looked at my clothes but couldn’t find anything that I fancied wearing. After a couple of minutes of looking at my clothes, I decided to just take the cargo pants and tank top I had lying around on the floor.

I walked through to my ensuite bathroom and ran myself a smoldering hot shower. I took off my comfy sweatpants and stepped in. After washing myself and walking out of the shower, I dried myself off with my fluffy royal purple towel. I looked at myself and was happy with the sight I made. All of my exercise was really paying off. My body was lean but muscular. I would never become ridiculously buff but I was fine with that. The way I was made me more dexterous anyways. 

I put on my green cargo pants and black tank top and hung up my used towel. I grabbed my hairbrush from the top drawer and ran it through my short hair styling it into a fringe cut. My striking blue eyes stared back at me as I examined my face. I had always had soft features between my full lips and petite nose adorned with freckles. They really stood out more with my toned body then before. But, in a way, it all fit together quite nicely. 

I brushed my teeth before leaving my bathroom. I traveled through the house towards the dining room where I knew my mother was sitting and eating. While walking the corridors, I checked my phone for any texts. I saw that Ary had texted me about Belle. As I had been doing, I just ignored it. They didn’t know what they were talking about. There were also three texts from Belle explaining why she had to cancel. I read them over showing myself that all my worries were for naught. 

As I knew she would, my mother was seated at the head of the dining room table, toast in one hand and a newspaper in the other. Her curly brown hair was down for once and her brown/amber eyes were intently reading her paper. Her plate was still half full with omelette and beans. I could see that she was half way through her teapot too. It seemed that she’d been here for a good ten minutes. 

“Good morning mother,” I greeted.

“Good morning Valeri. I heard you had quite an excursion yesterday.”

“Yeah. About that-”

“Yes, Jason told me about your deal. I’m quite proud.” I had completely forgotten about the deal. “I know you were a little late but I still want to discuss with you possibilities for you to gain more independence.”

“Oh okay. Uh. Thanks Mom, but really, I was late, the deal is off.”

“Nonsense. I see no reason why we can’t give you a bit more freedom. After all, you’re almost an adult.”

“If you insist,” I said unconvincingly. Although, I don’t think she stopped to think about my tone. 

Our cook came out with a plate filled with fruits, a chocolate croissant, a bowl of cereal, an egg over easy and a pot of blueberry black tea with sugar and a pitcher of milk. Just how I liked it. Tamery really was the best! Her food was always delicious and she always seemed to know exactly what I wanted. I quickly dug in. 

When my mother finished her meal, she addressed me.

“Valeri, I would like you to read this article,” she handed me the newspaper and pointed to an article on the second page. It read  **_Multi millionaire CEO of Cecil technology inc., Rhys Cecil, deceased. Cause of death is still unknown._ **

“Why do you want me to read this? So, a rich CEO died, why is that so important?”

“I’ll explain after you read it.”

“Fine.”

_ Last night, the 999 emergency number was dialed by Rhys Cecil, claiming that he was dying. When the ambulance arrived no ten minutes later, his body was found headless in his home. After having it examined, it was deduced that the head had been severed over an hour before. If the call was authentically him, the receiver was talking to a decapitated head! _

_ It is still unknown what the cause of death was. Authorities think the killer may have had a recording of Mr. Cecil’s voice and played that to 999 but nothing is clear as of yet.  _

The news article went off on speculations, going as far as quoting cultists. I kept on reading through all of the nonsense and finally found some more interesting information.

_ Rhys Cecil’s 24 year old son, Augustus Cecil will be inheriting the company as its sole heir but was unavailable for comment. _

Finally, the article went on about Augustus and closed with a warning to the general public about this new mystery killer. The article was well and good, but I failed to understand its relevance and why my mother insisted I read it.

“Okay. I still don’t get it. Why did I have to read this article? I have a feeling you didn’t just make me read it for no reason,” I asked my mother after putting the paper down on the table.

“Really Valeri? Don’t you remember what I had told you about Rhys Cecil?”

“No, sorry mother. It really doesn’t ring any bells.”

“I see. He is, well was, the leader of the maj. It seems as though his own son dethroned him and has taken control.”

“I still don't see why this is so important! So what, the maj have a new gang leader. This won’t make any difference.” At this, my mother’s face darkened.

“Valeri, do not blow this off as though it is nothing. A new lord means a new way of them doing things. I was able to keep Rhys Cecil in check but just barely. Now, I fear for everyone's safety at the hands of this new lord.”

“Oh,” I said dumbfounded.

After a couple minutes of silence, as I ate, I was able to regain my bearings.

“Hey mother, why are you giving me more freedom even though you’re concerned about this new lord?” I asked in spite of my small resolve to cease talking about this. She looked up from the newspaper she had taken back after I was done.

“You’re nearly eighteen. Nearly an adult. You’ll end up getting more responsibility towards your safety and autonomy. I figured this temporary imbalance in the maj world would be the ideal time to give you more leniency since they will be destabilized and reorganizing.”

“Oh. Yeah. That makes sense. Thanks mother.”

“Be sure not to take this for granted. Your safety is still a top priority.”

With that, I finished my breakfast. I decided to head to my room to get a start on my homework. 


	5. Is Bullying Justified?

It had been a week since the attack and since I had read the article. No more attempts on my life had been made and things seemed to have calmed down significantly. Life at school continued as normal and my newfound freedom allowed me more time with George and Belle. 

Throughout the week, a reoccurring nagging feeling wouldn’t leave me alone. Every time I thought about that night, I seemed to get restless. Both Belle and George commented on my restlessness but I had brushed it off as nothing but stress. I wondered if I should inform my mother but decided against it at that moment.  _ Ary would have also noticed _ , I told myself but instantly brushed that thought away. We had started to grow apart since Belle started to take an initiative in showing me Aryanne’s true nature. 

I found myself walking down a deserted hall, using a neat shortcut to my geography class. The hallway was somber, with only few lights turned on. No one ever went by there anymore. All of the classrooms were abandoned, having been replaced by newer ones in the addition. Some couples still used them to snog and others used the passages as shortcuts but the janitors rarely passed by to clean. There was a layer of dust on all the doors and the floors were worn out and dirty.

As I was walking, I heard noises coming from one of the classrooms. At first, I had thought it was just an especially noisy couple doing who knows what. However, the closer I got, I was able to discern many different voices. Now, it was a high school so nothing was far fetched but I ruled out the more explicit answers. As I approached the open door, I could hear screams and pleas for help, for it to stop.

That got me worried. Who was cruel enough to do something that lead this poor person to tears and begging. No one surely deserved to be treated in such a manner. I came up to the door and looked through the slim opening.

What I saw really had me speechless and paralyzed. At first I only saw the victim. Aryanne lay there, on the grimy, dusty floor, her face covered in tears. My mind focused on her and the feet kicking at her sides. Her pleas were horrifying.

Then, I slowly moved my focus. That was when I saw her. Anabelle was ruthlessly kicking and insulting Ary, her three other friends following suit. It all made sense then, Belle was doing this for me. She showed me Ary’s true colors and even took revenge for me. Something inside me screamed at how wrong all of this was. Not even Aryanne deserved this, but a sick sense of gratitude and fulfillment overruled it.

No one had seen me yet and I rathered keeping it like that. I silently backed away from the door and quickly retreated. I decided to talk about this to Belle later and tell her I didn’t approve. Hopefully that would save Ary. Then again, why did she deserve my help?

I shrugged off all of the inner turmoil and headed to class.


	6. P.S. The Homework Was About Literary Devices

After I got home that day, I found myself sitting in my desk chair trying in vain to do that day’s batch of homework. My mind kept wandering no matter what I did. I had gotten myself a cup of tea a while back in an attempt to calm myself but it still sat on my desk getting cooler by the minute. I had gotten myself a jumper, thinking that being comfortable would relax my thoughts. I had gotten myself something to eat, theorizing that I may have just been hungry. Clearly, none of these worked. My mind just wouldn’t cease. The more distracted I was, the more I couldn’t concentrate, and the more I couldn’t concentrate, the more distracted I became.

Everything that had happened lately seemed to occupy my mind in that moment. The attempt on my life, the disturbing news my mother shared, Bella’s accusations towards Ary. All of it was stopping me from doing my bloody homework! The first was the one bothering me the most. I couldn’t make heads or tails of the whole ordeal. On top of that, the attacks had ceased after. 

Mother thought it was because of the instability that had been installed with the change of leadership. I, however, wasn’t so convinced. Surely it wouldn't take over a week for things to settle down. The one who took power was the last lord’s son. He surely had some experience, and it wasn’t like he was completely new to the whole scene. But, I couldn't come up with another explanation for the cease fire. Not that I was complaining. The freedom I gained from that was a considerable boon. That was why I kept all of my speculations inside.

On another note, mother had been spending a lot more time with me. I wasn’t exactly sure why, but it was nice being able to spend time with her. She was prime-minister after all. Even with Helena her schedule was hectic. The fact that she was making an effort to clear some room was really nice. The day before, we had gone to see a movie. I hadn’t done that with my mother since I was still small. It was really great.

That had got me thinking. Should I have told mother about the whole assassination incident. I felt a little bad about not telling her, but I didn’t want to risk making her too worried. Worse case scenario, I would never be able to go out alone, ever, for the rest of my life. That would have been literal hell. 

But, on the other hand, I knew that my mother deserved to know what happened. It would be important information if she knew something I didn’t. And maybe it wouldn’t be that bad if I told her. But I had no way of knowing without telling her. And, did I really want to take that risk? I had been having so much fun with George without having an escort and Belle and I could do what we wanted without fearing that one of the guards would see us. 

Plus, mother seemed so much more relaxed as of late. Her worrying must have really been a big part of her stress. I kinda felt bad, honestly. She didn’t deserve to constantly worry about her only son. That brought up the other con. By telling her, I would only worry her more. I really didn’t want that. Finally, I decided to leave it be for the moment. The cons far outweighed the pros. 

Taking a sip of my cold tea and realizing I, once again, distracted myself from my work, I tried to tackle my homework for the upteenth time. It was due tomorrow and I only had the night to finish it. Damn procrastination.


	7. I Get Betrayed for the First Time

After a long day at school, I was walking to the gates of the campus to start my journey home when I caught a glimpse of Belle’s beautiful light brown locks. It had been a while since we had hung out after school. She was always so busy. Such a social butterfly. 

I ran up to her and hugged her from behind. She squealed in fright but then turned and kissed me.

“Val! Don’t scare me like that!”

“Sorry love, I couldn't help it.” At this, she rolled her eyes. I continued. “Hey, love?”

“Yeah?”

“Since you’ve been so busy lately, how would you like me to treat you to a caramel mochaccino from your favorite coffee place? That is, if you’re free.”

An unknown expression crossed her face before she said “How could I pass up something like that? You’d think I was crazy!”

“Brilliant!”

We made our way to the coffee shop making idle conversation. Once we were there, I ordered for the both of us and we sat at a table awaiting our drinks. Belle got her caramel mochaccino and I got a raspberry iced tea. We didn’t talk about anything major, reveling in each other's company for once. 

That was until Belle said, “Hey love, there’s something I’ve been meaning to show you.”

“Oh? What is it?”

“Gimme a sec.”

She took out her phone and plugged in her earbuds, passing one to me. She pressed play and the recording started. 

To say I was shocked would have been an understatement. The video showed Aryanne and George talking badly about me behind my back. The video itself was only about thirty seconds but it was like thirty seconds of pure agony. How could they say such things! It was one thing for Ary to say them, but George? He was my brother in all but blood.

“This can’t be! Are you sure this is real?”

“Of course I am! I filmed it!”

“But, but, George would never say such things! We’ve known each other forever! Why would he say those things?”

“People change Val,” she said while taking my hands in hers, “especially when they’re in love.”

“What?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Torry and Vallis obviously like each other.”

“No. Way. George would have told me!”

“Didn’t you hear what he thinks of you? What makes you think he would tell you something like that?”

“You’re… right.” I said despair filling my voice. It all made sense. Lately, George had been spending more time with Aryanne instead of me. And he was always defending her! I couldn’t believe it. George had turned on me. All that I had left was Belle. She was my only constant in school.

Not wanting to talk more on this subject, I changed it for a better, nicer alternative. After another twenty some minutes, we said our goodbyes, hugged, and kissed.

“Love, don’t despair. You’ll always have me, I would never do something like that to you.  _ Never _ ,” she said after we kissed.

“Thanks, I love you.”

“Bye! see you tomorrow.”

“Bye!” I replied waving.

I made my way to the underground and went home.


	8. Couldn’t I Find a Better Date Idea?

It had been two days since Anabelle showed me the footage. I was commuting to my next class, walking the halls, avoiding oncoming traffic. I was nearing Belle’s locker, when I saw that she was there exchanging books for her next class. I came up behind her and kissed her ear. She proceeded to whip around a light blush dusting her cheeks. She was so cute.  _ So cute and all mine. _

She must have picked something up in my gaze because she punched me lightly, turning back to close her locker.

“Hey love,” I said earning an amused glare from my girlfriend. 

“Hello.”

“You ready for your next class? Math right?” She nodded her head in confirmation.

“I always am. It  _ is _ my favorite class.”

“Right! Anyways, are you doing anything this weekend?”

“I’m not sure… Why?”

“Well, I thought, since I’m more available and all that, that we could go do something?”

“I think I’m free. Which is a miracle you know, with dance and everything else being the way it is.”

I was happy she was free. I had half expected her to shoot it down but had remained optimistic nonetheless. Her schedule had been hectic since the beginning of October so she was almost never free. She always had engagements with dance and other social activities. That was my karma for dating the most popular girl at school and one of the star dancers of London.

“Brilliant!”

“So? What shall we do?”

“Does a movie at my place sound good? Saturday afternoon?”

“Yeah sure! It’ll be nice to get some time to cuddle after so long.”

I looked at my watch and saw that I had only a couple minutes to head to my next class. I said as much to Belle and we parted ways with a kiss and a promise to talk later.

I arrived to my English class with seconds to spare. I took my usual seat at a high table and saw that there was a book deposited there. I pushed it aside realizing it was George’s. He was trying to mend things but I didn’t want to hear any of his drivel. I looked around the class and saw Aryanne talking to George across the room. They seemed to be in deep conversation. 

I really could see where Belle got her idea that they liked each other from. It was so obvious once she pointed it out. They always make googly eyes to each other and they unconsciously gravitate towards the other. I still couldn’t believe what they had said about me. Ary really was a bad influence on him. I really felt utterly alone in my classes since Bella wasn’t there. She was all I had left after George betrayed me.

I snapped out of my musings in time to see the teacher come into class with laptops for us to use. George came to my table and took a seat where I moved his book, sending me a hesitant smile. Across the class, Aryanne stage whispered to him asking him to join her table. He graciously did so, leaving me alone to my thoughts. Not that his presence represented anything but a nuisance. 

My teacher instructed us to take a laptop and start our work. With that, class had officially started.


End file.
